[artist id="1219435"]Bow Wow[/artist] knows what it's like to be in the spotlight as a young artist in a high-profile relationship with another singer (in his case, [artist id="1801883"]Ciara[/artist]), and he knows how intense the media glare can be.

But he also reportedly told OK! magazine that while he hasn't spoken to former tour mate Chris Brown or [artist id="1940303"]Rihanna[/artist] since their alleged altercation on the eve of the Grammys, which resulted in Brown's arrest on suspicion of making criminal threats, he was shocked by the picture that leaked last week showing Rihanna bruised and battered following the alleged incident.

"Just shocking," Bow Wow reportedly told the magazine. "I mean, we heard what happened but we really didn't get a visual for it. But I mean, hey, man. The picture speaks for itself."

The rapper, promoting his latest album, New Jack City II, said that when he first heard about the alleged incident, he was skeptical. "I mean, being in the business, the first thing is, 'Ah, it's false, another rumor, bloggers just wanting to have traffic to their site,' " he said. "But when the story was unfolding, it was kind of shocking to all. Chris is a good friend of mine. We've had the opportunity to tour together. And then Rihanna, she's just a beautiful person. Period. Never done no wrong to nobody."

But Bow Wow, who was the target of much speculation during his teenage romance with Ciara, pleaded for the singers' privacy until the facts of the case are more well known.

"I've been in a high profile relationship before and I know how it feels when everybody's in your business," he said. "It just puts more pressure. And the only way they're going to get over the situation is just to let them deal with it. And that's what I really want to do. I'm praying for them both.

"At the end of the day," he continued, "I've always believed in whatever happens with people's business ... my mom always told me don't get into [it]. And the situation is so major I think they just need their space and I think they need to deal with it."

A spokesperson for Bow Wow confirmed that the rapper spoke to the magazine.